Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B. R. NICHOLLS
SID LAWTON WAS A PROUD MAN after the 500 mile Grand Prix d'Endurance held on the Castle Coombe airfield circuit this year. It was the fourth time in succession that this ex-Norton factory team riders partnership of Lawton and Wilson had sponsored the winner. The previous three successes had been with the same Norton machine which no longer qualified on age grounds. This year a Triumph Tl20 was chosen and Lawton's own son Barry teamed with Dave Degens to ride it. They took a little over six hours and eighteen minutes to complete the distance at an average speed of 79.16 mph having moved into the lead when another Lawton and Wilson entry ridden by Chris Conn and Percy Tait dropped out with less than an hour to go having broken a primary chain. With an entry of fifty machines, space precludes detailing all the macabre happenings to well over half the entry.
Only five 500s entered and the class was won by Joe Dunphy teamed with journalist David Dixon on a Velocette Thruxton with only one other class finisher. The real surprise came from a Cotton Conquest in the 250 class, not a standard production machine but one entered under a separate section allowing use of some special parts. Ridden by Peter Inchley and Derek Minter, it finished third overall at an average speed of 75.29 mph. Degens had previously won the Barcelona 24 hour race on one of his own Dresda Triton machines partnered by Rex Butcher so it seemed he would win the F.I.M. Coupe d’Endurance for production machine racing. But it appears he has not manufactured enough Tritons yet to qualify so the winner as yet remains in obscurity.
Russia had her first full blown motorcycle world champion in the person of Victor Arbekov the Muscovite who has ridden so well this season. However, his claim to the title did not come with the glory it deserved for after failing to score in Russia as. reported in last month’s issue, he went to the East German round a week later and injured a hand in practice. Joel Robert and Dave Bickers were badly in need of a win to close the point gap on the Russian but it was the home rider Paul Friedrichs who took first place overall from Robert with Bickers retiring due to engine trouble. Arbekov’s injury kept him out of the British round where it looked like certain victory for Robert, but he was nowhere in the first race as the chain kept jumping off. But he made no mistake in winning the second leg which was a superb display of power riding. Bickers having won the first leg was contained his title but not without a bit of a fright from Rolf Tibblin who, after finishing second to Smith in the British round, w’on in Italy and West Germany. It looked as if he might sneak in with a late run as did Smithcy to win the title last year but it was not to be, for in the Dutch round, despite a fall in the first race, Smith was the overall winner and so took the title. However, at the subsequent Luxembourg meeting there was a disastrous pile-up half way through the second race. The first race results had been Tibblin, Lundin and Smith and that was the order half way through the second race when all three fell by the wayside, giving victory to Paul Friedrichs (CZ) who moved into fourth place in the table. But for Tibblin’s bad start this season with no points from the first six meetings, it could have developed into a really nerve racking struggle. Will Smith now retire? He answered that himself in a newspaper article with a very definite no. For Jeff is a real enthusiast with the sport in his blood and will still be riding long after most people have forgotten he ever won world moto cross
tent to stay second knowing that providing he stayed in front of Don Rickman (Bultaco Metisse) he would win. Vlastimil Valek (Jawa) was third overall with the young Swede Ake Jonsson fourth.
In the Swedish round Torsten Hallman (Husqvarna) really pulled the stops out to become overall winner, after seven meetings without scoring. Arbekov was second and this gave him an unbeatable score of five wins and two second places, 52 points out of a possible 56. Japanese ace Kazuo Kubo made his European debut on a Suzuki in Sweden but went out after a couple of laps when he fell and smashed the gear lever. The previous week he had been a keen spectator at the British round.
In the 500cc class Jeff Smith has rechampionships — he’s that sort of champion.
On the road racing front Count Agusta must be kicking himself for not sending his riders to the Ulster Grand Prix. Chances are that either Hailwood or Agostini would have won the 350 race as Redman fell off. This would have left the class wide open especially as Redman will not be fit to ride in Finland where the MV could again have won. This year the Ulster organizers changed the order of racing, by last year’s program the 250 race would have been held before the 350 . . . Still it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good and Phil Read did not expect to retain his title while sitting in the pits during the 350 race. It was reported that the reason for Hailwood and Agostini not appearing was that the bikes were being prepared for the Italian Grand Prix. One wonders if that would have been the case if Hailwood had not already won the 500 title, for the 500cc MV has been made available for the big international Hutchison 100 meeting to be held in England a week after the Ulster Grand Prix. The "Hutch” should be a sizzler. Aces like Read, Perris, Hailwood and Driver will all be riding in a production machine race and there will also be an old-timers event, more of all this in a full report next month.
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Hugh Anderson must have been a little unpopular in the Suzuki camp lately, he went scrambling one weekend when there was no road racing and severely sprained an ankle. The injury kept him from riding in the East German Grand Prix and left Frank Perris as the lone Suzuki runner against the works M.Z.s. Perris did not let the side down for in winning his first classic European grand prix he beat Dieter Krumphloz (MZ) by over a minute. Redman chalked up another 350 victory and delayed Read's title by also taking the 250 race. It was Hailwood and Agostini in the 500 and the same again a week later at the Czech meeting where Read and Duff pushed Redman down to third place in the 250 race, although Jim won the 350 and Perris was again victorious in the 125 class after Anderson crashed on the last lap. With only two -points between these two it will be interesting to sec who is detailed off for the title.
Hailwood gained his fourth world title in the 500 class in a row, yet another record for this dashing Oxford rider. Already rumours are flying about offers from Suzuki for a ride at the Japanese GP but my own feeling is that he will lean more toward Honda. Mike has given up car racing for the season now and loves a two wheel dice, if the Japs get a 350 six and 500 four out for Monza and this is a logical move, then I imagine Mike will glance that way with envy. Taveri and Bryans have been waiting a long time this season for competitive mounts in the 125 class so if the fours have not been drastically revamped something new is on the cards.
I would like to add something to what Gordon Jennings wrote at the end of his article last month. He said, with true national pride, that there are Americans who could make the grade in a works team if given the opportunity. Gordon should know, for he has first hand racing experience in the States and also saw this year’s T.T. races and a typical short circuit meeting on the mainland. I saw the 1964 USGP and thought Tony Murphy capable of reaching the top. But team managers are not going to visit the States to find talent; whether you like it or not Europe is the shop window and if any
American wants to sell himself he will
only do it in Europe. Mike Duff has done it and so have many Australian, New Zealand, South African and Rhodesian riders but none have been ‘given’ the opportunity. They all had to earn it the
hard way, driving hundreds of miles between meetings each weekend, being their own mechanic and head cook and bottle washer, not to mention office manager to cope with the paper work. And only a genius would make a works team after one season. Does this deter the would-be w'orks rider? If so then you have not got what it takes hut let me say this, I would he the first to cheer if an American did make the grade for as Gordon wrote “it would be a good thing all round” and therein lies the double tragedy of Tony Woodman’s serious injuries sustained in trying to be the first American to reach that peak, for Pony had already completed one season over here getting to know the ropes and was one of the hardest triers in the game, fie will be sadly missed but he has shown that an American can make the grade. Are there no more like him determined to have a go? •
